Say hello to spring with these strawberry-infused delicacies!

Resembling a dazzling red ruby, but bursting with sweet and tart flavours — a fruit filled with the goodness of nature. Yes, it’s strawberries we are talking about! While there exists a plethora of dishes you can make with them, local strawberries grace us with their presence only once a year. Well, we are in luck because it is that time of the year again where strawberries are in season.

So, stock up and make the most of this strawberry season with these delicious recipes!

STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE CUPS

Ingredients

12 crackers

80g butter

200g cream cheese

4 tbsp sugar

1 tsp strawberry extract

1 cup cream

200g strawberries

Method

Crush the crackers until you get a sand-like consistency and melt the butter. Pour the molten butter into the crushed crackers and combine until the crackers become moist and hold shape. Spoon this mixture into individual cups and then gently press to form the base.

To make the cheesecake mixture, beat room-temperature cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of sugar together until you get a smooth texture. In a separate bowl, beat cold whipping cream until light and fluffy. Then, gently fold in the cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream until you get one homogenous mixture. Add generous spoonful to the cracker base, spread evenly, and let this chill in the refrigerator for one hour.

Meanwhile, sprinkle sugar over the strawberries and let them sit for 10 minutes. After that, put the strawberries and their juice in a pan over medium-low heat and cook and crush the strawberries. Once thick and juicy, remove from heat and allow it to cool. Pour this mixture over the cheesecake cups and let them cool in the refrigerator for another hour before serving.

STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE BARS

Ingredients

3 cups milk

1 cup strawberry

2 scoops strawberry ice cream

3 tsp powdered gelatine

3 tbsp cold water

Sprinkles for garnish

Method

In a large bowl, add in cold water and then sprinkle over the gelatine. Let this swell for 5 minutes. Then, puree the strawberry with a little bit of milk. Once pureed, add the remaining milk and blend. Finally, drop in the ice cream and blend again.

Put this mixture on the flame in low heat and then add in the bloomed gelatine. Stir and cook this mixture until the gelatine dissolves and mixes with the liquid entirely. Pour this mixture into a large dish and let it cool, first in room temperature for 30 minutes and then in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Once cool and set, cut into cubes, garnish with sprinkles, and serve!

CHOCOLATE COATED STRAWBERRIES

Ingredients

20 large strawberries

100g dark chocolate

100g milk chocolate

100g white chocolate

3 tsp coconut oil

Sprinkles of choice

Method

For each of the chocolate bars, break them into smaller pieces and pour in a tablespoon of coconut oil in each. Heat them in the oven individually for 2 minutes, pausing and stirring every 30 seconds. Once the chocolate is molten, glossy and shiny, dip each of the strawberries into them. While the chocolate covered strawberries are still warm, garnish with sprinkles so that they stick on. You can poke them into skewers for serving.
STRAWBERRY PIE

Ingredients

For the crust –

1 egg

¼ cup caster sugar

1 ¼ cup flour

100g butter

For the filling –

2 cups strawberries

3 tbsp corn starch

¼ cup sugar

1 cup water

85g strawberry gelatine

Method

To make the crust, combine sugar and flour and then add in diced cold butter to it. Rub in the butter using your fingers so that you get a grainy consistency. Then, crack in one cold egg and mix in to bring the whole mixture together until a dough is formed. Cover this dough and let it chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine sugar, water, and corn starch in a saucepan and mix until smooth. Bring this to a boil and whisk for a couple more minutes while it thickens. After that, remove from heat and then stir in the strawberry gelatine and mix again. Let this cool for about 15 minutes in room temperature.

Meanwhile, roll out the dough flat and place it in a greased pie dish. Poke some holes in the dough using a fork and let it bake in the oven at 180° C for 15-20 minutes. Finally, when the crust is baked and cooled, place chopped fresh strawberries over the crust and then pour over the strawberry jelly mixture. Let this chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours before serving.